New Delhi, August 29
A strike called by the Resident Doctors Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday has got the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to name
Sep 25, the Institute day for holding the convocation to award degrees.

As the strike of
AIIMS resident doctors continues, patients and their attendants
wait on the premises of the medical institute in the Capital on
Wednesday.—Tribune photo by Manas Ranjan Bhui

200 villages to get sewerage: CM
New Delhi, August 29
The Delhi government would soon provide sewer facilities in about 200 villages of the Capital, to ensure better sewage disposal. Chief Minister and chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Sheila Dikshit today said this while inaugurating an UGR and booster pumping station (BPS) of 1.7 MGD capacity at Kondli in the Trans Yamuna area.

New Delhi, August 29
The National Valmiki Veer Dal organised a demonstration at Jantar Mantar today against the killing of a Dalit boy Rakesh in Gohana in Sonepat district and subsequent police action against the enraged crowd.
The organisation claimed it to be a planned killing, as the Jat elements were waiting for the deceased to come out of prison. Valmikies from across the country, condemning the murder, participated in the protest.

Activists of the National Conference of Dalit Organisations raise slogans against Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda during a demonstration to protest against the murder of a Dalit youth Rakesh Lara at Gohana in the Capital on Wednesday.
— Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Erratic power supply in Delhi Cantt: Tanwar appeals to LG
New Delhi, August 29
Residents of the Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituency are facing the erratic electric supply, load-shedding extending to 10 to 12 hours daily, inflated electricity bills and irrational raids by the BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd.

Activists of the National Akali Dal shout anti-US slogans during a protest in New Delhi on Wednesday against the checking of turbans at airports across the US.–Tribune
photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

ABVP to protest rejection of nominees
New Delhi, August 29
Chaos prevailed at Delhi University on Wednesday as the final list of candidates was announced after scrutiny. This much-awaited announcement has changed the face of this year's DUSU polls as many candidates from different parties like the ABVP, the SFI, among others, have been rejected on grounds of not meeting certain recommendations made by the Lyngdoh Commission. This has caused widespread alarm among supporters of different parties.

Industrialist's son missing for 27 days
Noida, August 29
The son of an industrialist, living in Sector-53, has been missing for the last 27 days and though the family has informed the police, a proper case has yet to be registered in Sector-24 Noida.

No plan for illegal colonies: Goel
New Delhi, August 29
The confrontation between the Central government and the Delhi government has resulted in lack of any policy for unauthorised colonies. About 40 lakh residents are thus affected and two lakh shops are bearing the brunt of sealing drive.

Encroachers eyeing land along Taj Expressway
Greater Noida, August 29
The land sharks and realtors in the area are eyeing the land along Taj Expressway. According to reports, encroachment and illegal construction are proceeding apace along Taj Expressway as land sharks know that the land in the area is going to be worth gold in the days to come.

Protest against checking of turbans
New Delhi, August 29
Volunteers of the National Akali Dal (NAD) demonstrated at Jantar Mantar here today, to protest against the checking of turbans of Sikhs at airports in the United States.

People's Action demands Yusuf's resignation
New Delhi, August 29
The People's Action, an NGO, has demanded the resignation of transport minister Haroon Yusuf for having effected changes in the transport system, leading to accidents by Blueline buses. The NGO has made this demand in a letter to the Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna.

Police upgrading cyber cell
New Delhi, August 29
The Delhi Police is in the process of upgrading its cyber cell and as is planning to hold regular meetings with major information technology (IT) firms to tackle the increasing number of cyber related crimes.

Auto lifters arrested
New Delhi, August 29
The West Delhi police has claimed to have arrested four auto lifters and found 12 kg ganja from them. The suspects Vijay, Vishal, Shankar Dayal and Sumit were arrested at a checking point near the water treatment plant in Vikas Puri.

Four HC judges confirmed
New Delhi, August 29
Four judges of the Delhi High Court were confirmed today. Along with Justice Kailash Gambhir, Justices G S Sistani, Hima Kohli and S Muralidhar were also confirmed.

Retain Section 498-A, pleads AIDWA
New Delhi, August 29
The All India Democratic Women's Association on Tuesday made a strong plea for retaining Section 498-A of the
IPC, which is designed to protect women from dowry-related violence.

New Delhi, August 29
A strike called by the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday has got the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to name September 25, the Institute day for holding the convocation to award degrees.

Ramadoss who is also the president of the Institute made this assurance to the AIIMS Director, Professor Venugopal when the latter called on him on Wednesday afternoon. Although the doctors had not made any formal announcement on the strike till 9.30 p.m, it appeared almost certain that they were in no mood to call off the strike.

Sources in RDA said that they would persist with their demand for expeditious award of degrees. "The total number of long overdue degrees is 700. Of these, 49 are needed urgently. Some doctors wish to apply for studies in foreign universities. These universities insist on original degrees and the deadline for applying this year is in the first week of September. By not giving them the degrees well in time, AIIMS will deny these doctors the chance of applying for these courses for a full academic year."

They pointed out that the minister's assurance to sign degrees needed urgently holds no meaning as he is flying away to Bhutan and it will take at least five days to sign the degrees. They hinted recourse to law if their demands were not met.

A statement issued by the acting media incharge of AIIMS said that the health minister has also agreed to immediately sign those degrees that are needed urgently for submission in other universities.

Ramadoss' remarks on the sidelines of an official function here that the nation's premier medical institute was slowly becoming a "doctor factory" for foreign countries has further antagonised doctors. Reacting to allegations that he had refused to sign the degrees, Ramadoss said, "The

AIIMS Act says that degrees should be conferred on the convocation day. Can the institute administration explain why they have not had a single convocation in the last two years?"

Although the AIIMS administration lost no time in conveying Ramamdoss' assurance to agitating doctors, the RDA deliberations on the issue at the afternoon General Body Meeting (GBM) remained inconclusive.

The association said that a final decision in the matter would be taken only after another GBM scheduled late on Wednesday evening.

Asked whether the RDA would call off the strike, RDA vice-president, Dr Arnab Pal told TNS here, "It all depends on the outcome of the GBM later in the evening. We will not hamper the emergency services, the Intensive Care Unit and the Coronary Care Unit at any cost. No patient who comes to AIIMS will go back without getting any treatment."

A senior resident doctor in the Department of Bio-chemistry, Dr Pal said that the doctors had not been given degrees for the last two years. These include MD, MBBS, MCH, DM, doctorate and other para-medical degrees besides B.Sc. in Nursing and Radiology.

"I completed MD (Biochemistry) from AIIMS in May, 2005 but I'm yet to get a degree," he said.

A press release issued by AIIMS here today termed as 'malicious' news reports that patient care was adversely affected due to the strike. They claimed that the institute administration was fully geared to run all emergency services and patient care in an absolutely normal manner.

New Delhi, August 29
The Delhi government would soon provide sewer facilities in about 200 villages of the Capital, to ensure better sewage disposal. Chief Minister and chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Sheila Dikshit today said this while inaugurating an UGR and booster pumping station (BPS) of 1.7 MGD capacity at Kondli in the Trans Yamuna area.

East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, area MLA Amrish Singh Gautam and Arun Mathur, CEO, DJB were also present at the function.

Dikshit added that by 2009, the DJB would construct 53 underground reservoirs (UGRs) in the Capital, of which 28 would be constructed in East Delhi. She expressed her government's commitment to provide drinking water facility to residents, for which the government was trying to obtain raw water from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

There is bound to be a substantial improvement in the water supply position, in coming years. She exhorted people to avoid wastage of drinking water.

The government is also committed to provide better amenities in rural and urban villages.

The CM said that the DJB had commissioned a city-wide study, with a planning perspective of the year 2011. The study had created a workable model to commission 109 underground reservoirs. This would go a long way in improving the availability and ensuring the pressure of water in various parts of the Capital.

With the commissioning of the newly constructed UGR and BPS, about 1.2 lakh of the total population of the state, would start getting filtered water supply with better pressure. On commissioning of the newly constructed UGR and BPS, colonies including, Kondli, Kondli Extension, Rajbir Colony, Ghroli, Ghroli Dairy Farm, New Kondli, Mulla Colony, Kondli Harijan Basti, Sapara Colony, SFS Flats, Mix Housing, Janta Flats, LIG Flats, Pocket A1-A3, B1-B8, C1-C2, D1-D2 and Mini MIG will be covered with filter water supply.

New Delhi, August 29
The National Valmiki Veer Dal organised a demonstration at Jantar Mantar today against the killing of a Dalit boy Rakesh in Gohana in Sonepat district and subsequent police action against the enraged crowd .

The organisation claimed it to be a planned killing, as the Jat elements were waiting for the deceased to come out of prison. Valmikies from across the country, condemning the murder, participated in the protest and wrote to the minister of home affairs, Shivraj Patil about the alleged crime.

The demonstrators demanded the immediate removal of the Bhupender Singh government and deployment of paramilitary forces instead of state police.

General secretary of the organisation Vijay Prakash alleged that the state machinery failed to provide protection to the deceased. Rakesh had informed the administration about threat to his life. MP Ram Chander Paswan addressed the gathering and asked the Centre to set up a committee to look into the planned murder.

The Valimikies had warned the government to launch countrywide protests, if an immediate action is not taken in this regard.

Faridabad: About 100 Balmikis blocked Neelam Chowk here . The blockade was in response to a call for bandh given by Dalit organisations in protest against the two related incidents. The blockade at Neelam crossing continued for about half an hour. It was lifted following the intervention by the district police chief.

The agitated members later submitted a memorandum demanding action against the culprits in both the incidents.

The blockade created traffic snarls in the city. The administration had made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident in view of the call for bandh.

New Delhi, August 29
Residents of the Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituency are facing the erratic electric supply, load-shedding extending to 10 to 12 hours daily, inflated electricity bills and irrational raids by the BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd.

BJP MLA and general secretary of the BJP Vidhayak Dal in the Delhi Assembly, Karan Singh Tanwar, today invited the attention of Lt Governor Tejender Khanna towards these problems.

Tanwar said that the BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd imposes power cuts exceeding 10 to 12 hours daily in Satya Niketan, Dhaula Kuan, Mochi Gaon, Shastri Market, Jharera Village, Mehram Nagar, East Mehram Nagar, Police Colony in the Delhi Cantonment Assembly area. This has affected the daily activities of the residents.

Many are compelled to spend sleepless nights on roads due to load shedding in this hot and humid climate. Added to this, many ill and aged people have lost their lives, due to the non-supply of electricity. Moreover, the BSFS Rajhdhani Power Ltd officials respond irresponsibly and rudely, if any complaint is made.

Tanwar added that when he contacted the officers of the BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, they did not give any satisfactory reply.

New Delhi, August 29
Chaos prevailed at Delhi University on Wednesday as the final list of candidates was announced after scrutiny. This much-awaited announcement has changed the face of this year's DUSU polls as many candidates from different parties like the ABVP, the SFI, among others, have been rejected on grounds of not meeting certain recommendations made by the Lyngdoh Commission. This has caused widespread alarm among supporters of different parties.

Sources within ABVP inform that three nominations from the party have been rejected including that of Vikas Dahiya, the presidential candidate from the ABVP.

Rakesh Sharma, the Delhi state sangathan secretary from the ABVP said, "Today was the final day and the scrutiny was completed but the result is not fair at all. Three of our candidates have been rejected-Vikar Dahiya (Pres), Rohit Chehl (Sec) and Kapil Garg (Jt Sec). Currently we have been talking with the professors. We feel that this entire scrutiny has been done under political pressure and it makes a joke out of the democratic process in the university. We are not going to take this lying down."

Rakesh added, "From tomorrow the ABVP is going to initiate a chain hunger strike as a protest over this entire scrutiny episode and the rejection of our nominees. We are also going to both the Supreme Court and the High Court to give our side on this unfair situation. Further many of our activists who were sitting in protest have been arrested by the police today. There is utter chaos here and we are going to get justice on this election." Even as tempers run high at ABVP with the scrutiny results, the mood at SFI is equally grim. Natasha Narwal, the presidential nominee from the SFI, said that her nomination has been cancelled rather unfairly. "My nomination has been cancelled and the grounds are extremely weak. I am a first division holder and I had 73% attendance, they rejected my nomination as my attendance was short merely by 2%.

This is simply not fair and we are exploring legal options on the matter as well as mobilizing students on campus."

Natasha felt that this entire scrutiny has been politically motivated, "almost all parties except the NSUI have had rejections of candidates and this is unfair.

We feel this entire scrutiny and results have been brought about under political pressure. Why implement only a few of the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Commission. All their recommendations should be
implemented." The mood at DU was extremely volatile today and this year's election promises to be a high-voltage affair.

Noida, August 29
The son of an industrialist, living in Sector-53, has been missing for the last 27 days and though the family has informed the police, a proper case has yet to be registered in Sector-24 Noida.

Nirmal Jain, resident of A-32 Sector-53, an industrialist has an office in Sector-2 Noida. His 20-year-old son Varun Jain was a student of computer science and was also running a photostat shop in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. After taking lunch at home on August 2, Varun set out on foot as his bike was out of order.

After that the family has not heard from him. He could not be contacted on his two cell phones either. Next day his father, Nirmal had informed the Sector-24 police about his missing son. The police have not yet registered an FIR.

Varun's father Nirmal Jain has meanwhile expressed apprehension that his son might have been kidnapped for ransom. A friend of Varun is said to have received a message on his cell phone two days after Varun had gone missing. But nothing much came out of it, say the police.

Nirmal Jain has gone to the SSP and the SP City many times but each time he is sent back with assurances that police investigations are on.

He has been told by SO Sector-24 police station, Amarnath Gupta that the missing report filed by Jain should be considered
an FIR.

New Delhi, August 29
The confrontation between the Central government and the Delhi government has resulted in lack of any policy for unauthorised colonies. About 40 lakh residents are thus affected and two lakh shops are bearing the brunt of sealing drive.

All India secretary, BJP, Vijay Goel has made this observation and said that the Congress government merely talks of inclusion of unauthorised colonies of Delhi in a Bill pending in Parliament, but it does nothing to check sealing.

The government decisions are motivated solely by vote bank politics. The Master Plan of Delhi 2020 is its best example. When it was made effective in February 2007, the municipal elections were to be held. But it will not benefit the government

as the citizens of the Capital are aware of such games.

They exercised their franchise against the Congress government in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the same would happen in assembly elections, Goel observed.

Life of 40 lakh people will be affected if sealing is continued in these colonies. The government should provide basic infrastructure-power, water, drainage system, concrete roads, etc--to unapproved colonies so that people can live a normal life.

A major population of the city is living in these colonies and it is not practical to replace them, he said. If the government does not stop sealing commercial establishments in unauthorised colonies, the BJP will start a 'jan andolan" in the national Capital, Goel warned.

The government promised to allot flats to jhuggi dwellers in high-rise buildings but so far no building was being constructed for them.

Greater Noida, August 29
The land sharks and realtors in the area are eyeing the land along Taj Expressway. According to reports, encroachment and illegal construction are proceeding apace along Taj Expressway as land sharks know that the land in the area is going to be worth gold in the days to come.

As for as the government and district administration are concerned, there is scant security of land along 160 km Taj Expressway.

The realtors are buying land from farmers and feverishly constructing structures over it.

The main focus of illegal construction is on land earmarked for Javer Airport, Night Safari, Formula I racing track, etc.

The Greater Noida Authority had got cases registered against 383 persons. It was alleged that property dealers and land mafia had built illegal structures and cut plots over the whole area.

When further action was taken on projects like Javer Airport, Night Safari, Formula 1 racing track, etc, the land mafia and realtor shifted their focus on Greater Noida and Taj Expressway land. Maximum encro-achment is reported around Dankore and Jagatpur. The land along a distance of 160 km from Greater Noida to Agra is not being fully guarded from land sharks, it is learnt.

The district administrations in Gautam Budh Nagar, Mathura, Aligarh and Agra, are seized of land acquisition process, as the government wants the needed land to be acquired speedily so that the construction of Expressway should proceed smoothly. Besides, satellite survey has been completed and master plan is also ready with the Greater Noida Authority, it is learnt.

Survey team sent under Tehsildar recently by GNIDA had informed the Greater Noida Authorities that there was rampant encroachment on Taj Expressway.

However, Dy CEO P.K. Agrawal said deterrent action will be taken against encroachers. Their list is being prepared.

The projects of international standards coming up in Greater Noida area seem to have whetted the greed of land sharks, Agrawal added.

New Delhi, August 29
Volunteers of the National Akali Dal (NAD) demonstrated at Jantar Mantar here today, to protest against the checking of turbans of Sikhs at airports in the United States.

Shouting anti US slogans and carrying placards, the demonstrators led by NAD president Paramjit Singh Pamma tried to march towards the US Embassy in Chanakyapuri, but were stopped by the police. Addressing demonstrators, Pamma said that checking of the headgear of Sikhs, was a direct insult to the community.

He urged the US authorities to immediately stop such checking. Later, a memorandum demanding an end to such checks was handed over to the embassy officials. The memorandum addressed to the US president said.

New Delhi, August 29
The People's Action, an NGO, has demanded the resignation of transport minister Haroon Yusuf for having effected changes in the transport system, leading to accidents by Blueline buses. The NGO has made this demand in a letter to the Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna.

The letter stated that the LG was the last resort to residents of the state and, it was for him to owe responsibility or take action of the inhuman situation, where Blueline busses claimed the dear life of a resident daily.

Meanwhile, residents of West Delhi have decided to demonstrate tomorrow against the death of a young boy in the area.

New Delhi, August 29
The Delhi Police is in the process of upgrading its cyber cell and as is planning to hold regular meetings with major information technology (IT) firms to tackle the increasing number of cyber related crimes.

"The fast changing
technical environment throws new challenges.

Technical innovation leads to new modes of crime and, so we need to keep pace with the technology to tackle it",
Delhi police commissioner Y. S. Dadwal told reporters, recently.

He said that the force would interact with IT companies to help in increasing the efficiency of police personnel, dealing with cases of cyber crime.

New Delhi, August 29
The West Delhi police has claimed to have arrested four auto lifters and found 12 kg ganja from them. The suspects Vijay, Vishal, Shankar Dayal and Sumit were arrested at a checking point near the water treatment plant in Vikas Puri.

According to the police, the suspects got confused when they were asked to produce the papers of the car they were travelling in. On checking the vehicle 12kg ganja and some instruments of burglary were found.

The suspects told the police that they had to deliver the narcotic substance all over the city but their primary business was of auto theft. On their disclosure five other stolen vehicles have been recovered.

In another incident, the South Delhi Police has claimed to have nabbed a gang of auto lifters by arresting three persons.

The south Delhi police to nab the auto lifters constructed a special team. The team reached Ashram Chowk and nabbed three alleged car lifters and impounded a stolen Esteem car.

According to the police, 28 cases of car theft have been solved with the arrest of the suspects.

New Delhi, August 29
Four judges of the Delhi High Court were confirmed today. Along with Justice Kailash Gambhir, Justices G S Sistani, Hima Kohli and S Muralidhar were also confirmed.

Justice Gambhir, born on September 7, 1951, was appointed as Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on May 29, 2006.

Justice Gambhir, after graduating from Kirori Mal College, studied law at Delhi University and had joined the Bar in August, 1979.

Within a short span of time, Justice Gambhir was nominated as Senior Government Counsel in 1995 and became State Counsel of Goa and UP. He remained Standing Counsel for various union ministries, banks and public sector undertakings.

Justice Sistani, born on March 11, 1958, after attending Frank Anthony Public School, graduated from Hindu College and got a law degree from Delhi University.

Appointed as Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court 15 months back, Justice Sistani had practised mainly in Delhi courts on commercial, civil, writ and company law fields.

Born on September 2, 1959, Justice Kohli did her History (Hons) from St Stephans College in 1979 and went on to complete her postgraduation degree in History from Delhi University. She obtained her law degree from the Campus Law Centre in 1984 and got herself immediately enrolled as an advocate at the Delhi Bar Council.

Justice Muralidhar, who was appointed as Additional Judge 15 months ago, was born in Mumbai on August 8, 1961.

After securing the first rank in the final law examinations at the University of Madras in 1984, Justice Muralidhar got himself enrolled as an advocate and practised in the High Court in Chennai.

Deciding to shift to Delhi in 1987, he joined the chambers of Additional Solicitor General of India G Ramaswamy.

Erudite Justice Muralidhar did his LL.M. from Nagpur University in 1991 and got a Ph.D. from Delhi University in 2003. He has authored many scholarly works including a book on 'Law, Poverty and Legal Aid: Access to Criminal Justice'.

New Delhi, August 29
The All India Democratic Women's Association on Tuesday made a strong plea for retaining Section 498-A of the IPC, which is designed to protect women from dowry-related violence. The Section states that, "whoever, whether the woman or the relative of the husband of a woman subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to a fine." The offence is non-bailable and cognizable. This provision seeks to protect women from domestic violence due to the demands for dowry. The Delhi unit of AIDWA sought to point out that Section 498-A was enacted in 1983 following a massive campaign by women's organizations and other social rights groups. AIDWA representatives maintain that since the enactment of this Section there has been a massive pressure to dilute this provision on grounds that it was liable to be misused. However, studies show that since 1983 the actual convictions in such cases have been less then 2 per cent.